Kyle closed the menu. His date merited the courtesy of his undivided attention.
“I apologize,” he said, in hopes of putting the evening on the right footing. “You look nice tonight.”
Ariel’s frown morphed into a smile. She indeed looked lovely, perfect as always, he thought. Her hair looked as if she’d just stepped out of the salon, and her face was expertly painted in colors that accentuated her classic beauty. Tonight, she wore a red satin dress that bared her back while the thigh-grazing hemline showcased endless legs.
Ariel’s statuesque presence had captivated every man in the room. Except him.
“Anyway, I was trying to tell you...”
The waiter came for their orders. Ariel attempted to wave him off, but Kyle was too hungry to delay getting their order in. Not wanting to tease his hunger with bread and appetizers he immediately ordered his entrée. He decided to go with the steak, while Ariel ordered her usual salad.
The waiter scuttled off, and Kyle gestured for her to continue.
“I’ve been offered a job in Italy,” she said.
“That’s great,” he said. “Congratulations. How long will you be gone?”
Although, Ariel’s mainstay was catalog work, regional magazine and country music videos, she occasionally got calls for more prominent jobs in Los Angeles and New York.
“If I take it,” she said. “I’ll have to move to Milan.”
“So tell me about the job.”
“An Italian designer saw me in a music video a few weeks ago and flew me in for an interview. He wants me to be the new face of his fashion house. So I would be his lead runway model as well as appear in international print and television ads for his cosmetic and fashion lines.”
Kyle’s eyes widened. “That’s wonderful, Ariel,” he said, genuinely happy for her. “We should have ordered champagne instead of wine to celebrate.”
He started to summon the sommelier, but Ariel stopped him with a sharp shake of her head.
“I haven’t accepted the job yet.”
“Why not?” Kyle asked, surprised. “It sounds perfect for you.”
“It’s a big move, and well, I...” Ariel hemmed.
The waiter once again interrupted her as he returned with their meals. Kyle’s mind went blank when the steak, accompanied by a heap of extra thin pommes frites, was slid in front of him. His hunger abated any thoughts of conversation.
Kyle dug into his food, his mind focused solely on the rib eye. He was halfway done when he heard Ariel clear her throat.
“Well, I had wanted to ask you a question, but I guess your lack of attentiveness gave me my answer.”
Kyle reluctantly put down his knife and fork.
“Take pity on me, Ariel,” he said. “This was my first mouthful of food today. I’ve barely had time for more than a swallow of coffee.”
She crossed her arms, frowning at him over her untouched house salad. “This is my first meal today, too, and I didn’t pounce on it and act as if I were eating alone.”
Kyle sighed, thinking about his low-key, uncomplicated and all-too-brief time with Nia. He wondered what she was doing right now. Was she still at the farmhouse or had she returned to suburban Chicago?
He gave himself a mental kick. He reminded himself to focus on the woman in front of him, not the one who made it clear she only wanted him for one thing and only for one night.
Kyle straightened in his chair.
“I’m all ears, Ariel,” he said. “Talk to me.”
“I know we were only supposed to be dating casually,” she said.
“It’s what we both wanted,” Kyle reiterated. “In fact, you were busy the last few times I called to ask you out.”
Her gaze fell to her plate, before she looked up again. “When I turned you down, I didn’t expect you to stop asking.”
“Oh,” Kyle said, not knowing what else to say. He’d simply taken no for an answer with Ariel. He moved on and never looked back.
Unlike with Nia, where he’d accepted her no, but it was proving a hell of a lot harder to move on.
Kyle hadn’t thought of Ariel until she’d called last week. Even then he hadn’t missed her.
“I thought there might be a reason for me not to go to Milan, and perhaps, you were ready to take our relationship to another level,” she said.
“Ariel,” Kyle began. “You’re a beautiful woman, but...”
“But, sounds like the prelude to a brush-off speech.”
Now that he’d been on the receiving end of that speech, Kyle wasn’t so cavalier in giving it to someone else. He never wanted to make anyone feel the way he did these days.
“It’s more like a setting-you-free speech,” he said, diplomatically. “I don’t want to hold you back. Italy is a fabulous opportunity for you. Go.”
The rest of the meal was cordial, and afterward he drove her back to her downtown condo.
“Come up for a nightcap?” Ariel asked, after he shifted his BMW sedan into Park in the circular driveway at the entrance to her building.
“Not tonight,” he said. “I have an early meeting in the morning.”
“You can always leave from here,” she offered. “The Ellison building is within walking distance.”
She traced a fingertip down his thigh, a move that usually left him rock hard in anticipation, however tonight there was zero response from his nether regions.
Kyle gently removed her hand from his leg. “Goodbye, Ariel,” he said, firmly. “And best of luck in Italy.”
* * *
Early Friday morning found Kyle already at his desk.Since he arrived before Margie these days, his new routine was to drive through Starbucks for a black coffee and The Wall Street Journal.
A knock sounded at his door, and he looked up from an article he was reading on Ellison’s chief rival to see his brother standing in the doorway. He hadn’t seen much of Adam since they’d all returned from his Hawaiian wedding months ago, and the sight of him elevated Kyle’s mood.
“Too busy for your big brother, Mr. CEO,” Adam said. “I tried to catch you at home, but you’d already left.”
Although they had different mothers—Adam’s the love of their late father’s life who died when Adam was young, and Kyle’s the woman a mourning David Ellison had married on the rebound—they’d always been close.
Never half brothers, simply brothers.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” Kyle said. “What did you bring me?”
“The pleasure of my company,” Adam Ellison said.
Kyle frowned at his brother’s empty hands. “It would be a lot more pleasurable accompanied by a fresh batch of your chocolate croissants.”
“Next time, man.” Adam plopped down in the leather club chair across from Kyle’s desk. “Too much construction chaos going on preparing for the grand openings of the patisserie and Brandi’s handbag shop,”
“How’s my new sister-in-law?” Kyle asked.
Kyle watched a grin spread over his brother’s face at the mention of his wife’s name.
“Lovely as ever, and looking forward to seeing you tonight.”
“Tonight?” Kyle hadn’t checked his schedule, but he didn’t remember making plans with his brother and sister-in-law.
“The Coach Ball is tonight,” Adam said. “You couldn’t have forgotten.”
Damn, Kyle thought, he had forgotten. Even after Margie reminding him last week.
“I’ve been up to my neck in this transition, and it completely slipped my mind.”
Adam looked around Kyle’s office. “Speaking of offices, what are you still doing down here? I would have thought you would have already moved upstairs.”
Kyle shook his head. “I’m having Dad’s office redone. It won’t be ready un
til next week.”
“Good for you. It’s about time. The entire floor is as depressing as a funeral parlor.”
Kyle snorted. “Man, I’m having those dark drapes ripped down, carpeting pulled up and getting rid of all that heavy furniture,” he said. “It’s being replaced with glass and chrome, lots of plants and plenty of light.”
“I don’t think Dad bought one stick of new furniture since he purchased this building decades ago,” Adam said. “The only thing he ever splurged on was the company’s private plane.”
“And that’s only because he got it cheap.” Kyle remembered his father’s delight in purchasing the custom Boeing 757 for a fraction of its worth after the original owner lost his fortune in the real-estate slump.
“I’ll bet the old man is probably spinning in his grave at you spending on redecorating,” Adam said.
“Dad always did what he thought was best for the company, but he’s gone,” Kyle said. “I won’t run Ellison Industries the way he did. I’m going to run it my way.”
Adam smiled and nodded. “I’m impressed already. Want to share some of your plans?”
Kyle leaned back in his chair. He’d hoped Adam would be interested. After all, the only person who knew Ellison Industries as well as he did was his brother.
“As you know, Ellison is sitting on a huge pile of cash. Meanwhile, we have companies with manufacturing plants and factories sorely in need of updates. In some cases, we’d be better off razing them and building new facilities.”
Adam steepled his fingers and rested his chin against them. “Dad was always gun-shy about spending unless it was a guaranteed moneymaker. Back when I was with the company, we both agreed with him but even more so after the economy tanked.”
That was before he got out of his ivory tower in the Ellison Building and traveled to Ohio, Kyle thought. Sitting outside the Peppermint Lane Factory showed him what happened when a share of the profits weren’t reinvested in manufacturing facilities. They became outdated and dilapidated.
As usual, when the Peppermint Lane Factory and the town he was snowbound in came to mind—Kyle’s thoughts turned to Nia.
For a man she’d accused of easily compartmentalizing his feelings, he was finding it hard to put away his longing for her.
Kyle cleared his throat before continuing. “I intend to use some of our cash stockpile to reinvest in our plants and factories that support our core business as well as get the new personal care unit up and running,” he said. “I consider the current economy more of a reason to do it now. It’ll create new jobs, and people with paychecks fill their shopping carts with our products.”
Kyle went on to outline more of his strategy including key personnel shifts.
“So what do you think?”
Although Kyle was well aware he was the Ellison brother in charge, Adam held a seat on the board and Kyle respected his opinion. He waited as his brother contemplated all he’d told him.
Adam exhaled. “I think it’s great,” he said. “Honestly, as head of Ellison, I likely would have run the company by rote and did everything the same as Dad. But you have your own vision. It makes me believe you were the man for the job all along.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Since we’re on the subject of Dad. I was talking to Chief this morning, and he offered to clear out Dad’s bedroom suite and dispose of his personal effects,” Adam said. “I told him to hold off, because I think we should be the ones to do it. We’ve put it off long enough.”
Kyle nodded. Chief supervised the Ellison estate’s household staff and handled most tasks. However, Kyle agreed with his brother, this particular job was theirs.
“How’s Sunday afternoon for you?” Kyle asked.
“Sounds good, I’ll be around the house about noon.”
“See you then,” Kyle said.
“No, we’ll see each other tonight at the ball, remember?”
“Damn. I keep forgetting.”
“What’s the big deal? Throw on a tux, call Kim, Greta, Ariel or whoever you’re seeing these days, and you’re set to go.”
Kyle frowned as Nia’s face flashed through his mind. She was the only woman he was interested in these days. His evening of trying to forget her with Ariel had proved it.
“What’s wrong?” Adam asked. “Woman problems?”
Kyle nodded once.
“Not you, player.” His brother threw his head back and laughed. “Who is she?”
“Her name’s Nia. I met her when I went to close down the peppermint bark factory Dad bought in Ohio.” Kyle filled his brother in on her taking him in during the freak spring snowstorm.
Adam shook his head. “I’m not sure which one is the bigger mystery, dad buying that factory or the fact a woman’s got your nose wide-open.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my nose.” Kyle’s protest sounded weak to his own ears.
Adam leaned back in the club chair. “So tell me about this Nia.”
Sighing, Kyle pushed away from his desk and stood by the window overlooking the Nashville skyline. He hadn’t talked to anyone about Nia yet. After the way they’d left things in Candy, there didn’t seem to be much point.
But if he were going to confide in anyone, it would be his brother.
“Nia’s funny. She’s smart, savvy and has the biggest heart of anyone I know.” The words tumbled out of his mouth. “Nia’s wonderful.”
Kyle turned from the window to find Adam staring at him openmouthed.
“What are you gawking at?” Kyle asked.
“I just don’t believe it,” Adam said. “Are you listening to yourself?”
“What? You asked me about her, and I told you.”
“Yeah, you did, and ever since I can remember you’ve described your women in terms of gorgeous face, big boobs or nice ass. Always physical features.” The corner of Adam’s mouth lifted into the beginnings of a smirk. “You didn’t use a single physical attribute to describe this one. You told me things that are invisible to the eye. Characteristics only the heart can see.”
Kyle stood rigid as his brother’s observations sank in.
“Where in the hell did that come from?” he joked, in an attempt to deflect from the fact it had left him reeling. “Your wife have you watching Lifetime movie marathons now?”
“Whatever, man.” Adam smiled. “So when do I get to meet her?”
Kyle shrugged. “Probably never. The last time I talked to her she was angry with me for closing the factory. She doesn’t want to see me again.”
“So you’re just going to sit around moping?”
“She’s already turned me down twice. What do you suggest I do?”
“It’s simple,” Adam said. “Ask her again.”
Chapter 16
Friday afternoon Nia looked at her boss’s empty office and smiled for the first time since she’d returned to work.
Mr. Randall had been out all day showing a movie location manager around town and wasn’t expected to return to the office. With him gone, she was cautiously optimistic she’d be part of the mass exodus of workers leaving city hall at five o’clock.
Again, Nia glanced from the seminar handouts she was stapling together at the clock. Not even a minute had passed since she’d last checked.
Her phone rang in her purse, and she reached into her bottom desk drawer.
Nia never took calls at work, but with her boss away and her two coworkers sitting across the room dawdling on Facebook, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to do it just this once. Besides, it was almost quitting time.
She answered without checking the number, assuming it was Amy wanting to know if she was coming to Candy this weekend to work on her grandmother’s house.
Instead, a deep, achingly familiar voice said her name.
“It’s Kyle,” he said.
Nia closed her eyes. She held the phone to her ear with both hands and let his voice wash over her. Unable to believe she was hearing it again.
When she finally spoke, she repeated his name in a breathless whisper.
“How’ve you been?” he asked.
“Good,” she said. “You?”
“I’m fine.”
The weeks apart had diminished her anger, making Nia wish she’d at least heard him out—as he’d done with her proposal—instead of judging him so harshly.
At the same time, her longing for her former houseguest had only grown stronger. She missed him.
“I read you were named the new CEO of Ellison Industries,” she said, hating how stiff and awkward she sounded. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” His tone was also off. Too formal and polite for two people who once enjoyed an easy camaraderie.
Nia heard his sharp exhale at the other end of the phone.
“I don’t want to waste time exchanging small talk with you.” He hesitated. “I called because I’ve missed you—a lot.”
Nia spun around in her chair until she faced the wall, avoiding her coworkers’ curious stares.
“I know what you said when I saw you last,” he continued, “but I was hoping you’d had a change of heart.”
Her heart slammed against her chest, brimming over with all the things she felt, but couldn’t put into words.
“I want to see you again. Take you out on a real date,” Kyle said. “Dinner. Perhaps, some dancing.”
“I’d like that.” The soft-spoken admission belied the screaming “yes” reverberating in Nia’s head.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said, and then disconnected the line.
What? Nia pulled the phone from her ear and stared down at it.
For a man who seemed so eager to take her out, Kyle hadn’t given as much as a clue to when it would actually happen.
Sweeter Temptation (Kimani Hotties) Page 13